Sketchpads and Guitars
by medievalstranger
Summary: Mary Stuart is a shy and timid college freshman who has the passion for art while Francis Valois is the campus heartthrob and the vocalist of his band. A Reign/ Frary Fanfic, modern setting (ongoing)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Sweat is dripping from her head, she never thought moving would be this difficult and tiring. She has just unpacked the last box when she heard her roommate enter the room.

"Mary, you've been in this room all day, you should go out, have some fun!" Kenna said with a cheerful tone

Kenna, her roommate is also a first year student; she's majoring in English and arrived in the dorm a day earlier than Mary.

"Yes mum" Mary said jokingly

"and I would only arrange some things and decorate a bit then I'm done" Mary added

"Yes! Does this mean that you'll come with me?" Kenna asked

"come to where?"

"there will be a party near the campus tonight, it's a great opportunity to meet new friends!" Kenna said, the excitement reflecting in her voice

"nahh, I'll pass" Mary said

"Why, are you busy or something?" Kenna said clearly disappointed

"I'm just not into it" Mary said while transferring her books to the shelf next to her bed

"someone's an introvert" Kenna said, trying to convince Mary

"I am not! I'm just… I don't know, I'm not really good at socializing with other people" Mary said

"You'll be fine, you're going with me and that's final" Kenna said as she walks to Mary and puts away the books on Mary's bed

"You can continue arranging your things tomorrow" Kenna said

Mary shot Kenna a disapproving yet challenging look

"Don't look at me like that, I promise, you won't regret it" Kenna added

* 4 hours later*

"it's too crowded here!" Mary said almost shouting

"Well duh Mary, it's a party, of course lots of people will be here" Kenna said

Mary is wearing black high waisted shorts and a creamy white crop top, which makes her uncomfortable, she thinks it's too short yet she wore it anyway

"Do I look fine to you?" Mary said

Kenna rolled her eyes

"Are you seriously asking me that question? With legs like that, boys would be drooling as soon as they saw you" Kenna said

"I'm serious Kenna" Mary said

"I am too, now stop looking so nervous and go talk to someone" Kenna said

"Yes…MUM" Mary said as she smiles at her friend, it's really comforting knowing that Kenna's here, _she's been in the campus for three days and so far she only has… one friend ha!_ _What an achievement, _she said to herself

After few minutes of walking past through the crowd, she finally found a chair to sit on, there will only two vacant chairs in sight and she feels so lucky for finding the last two ones just in time

_So much for finding someone to talk to and there's no way she's going back to that crowd, she feel so squished and her feet hurt from walking so much. Kenna is nowhere to be found and she feels so awkward sitting here all alone_

"hey" she heard a deep voice but she didn't bother to know where it came from, she's practically invisible right now, who would even talk to her

"hey, are you alone?" A guy with curly blond hair asked her, his British accent noticeable

"who, me?" Mary said clearly shocked that someone actually acknowledged her existence

"No, I was actually talking to the chair" the guy said

"oh" Mary said embarrassed

"yes you, silly" the guy said with a smile

"uhm no, I'm not alone, I came here with a friend" Mary said composing herself

"where is she now?" the guy said, his eyes were so blue , Mary could hardly form a coherent response

"how do you know it's a 'she'?" Mary said

"well a boy shouldn't leave a girl like you alone, that's what I know" the guy said

"I'm Francis by the way, Francis Valois… and you're?"

"Mary" Mary said, not wanting to prolong the conversation, she doesn't want to embarrass herself any further to this gorgeous blond beside her

"Just Mary?" Francis said

"Yeah, just Mary" Mary said, quickly looking away as if uninterested, she and Francis just sit there with an awkward silence

"Francis!" a blond girl shouted near the bottom of the stage

Mary was quite annoyed, she finally found someone to talk to then some girl just ruined it, well not exactly_, she ruined it to be honest, this handsome guy came to talk to her and she suddenly go into to full dumb bitch mode_ Mary said to herself

"wait a sec!" Francis said to the girl

"hey look, I really hate leaving you here alone, but I really I have to go, it was nice meeting you, just Mary" he said and smiled one last time before he walks away

A few seconds later, Kenna came into view

"did you just sit there alone for the past hour?" Kenna said with disbelief

"maybe… maybe not" Mary said

"did you even talked to someone?" Kenna said

"well, technically yes… he talked to me first" Mary said

"where is he now?" Kenna said clearly interested

"uhm… he left, obviously. But enough about me, where have you been?" Mary asked

"I met someone, his name is Sebastian, Bash for short, and he's majoring in Civil Engineering" Kenna said gleefully

"well, at least one of us got lucky" Mary said throwing a smile to her friend

"they're setting up the stage, I guess the band will perform soon" Kenna said as looks to the stage

"what band" Mary asked

"the band with the gorgeous vocalist, they say he plays the guitar too but only on rare occasions" Kenna said

"well I hope he sings well" Mary said

"of course he does, that's why girls are drooling over him all over campus" Kenna said

"have you even met the guy?" Mary asked

"no, but I would LOVE to" Kenna said as she elbows Mary

"oh admit it, I know you do too" Kenna added

Mary just smiled to her friend, not really knowing what to respond

"There he is!" Kenna said with excitement

"that's the guy" Mary said completely shocked

"I told you he's gorgeous" Kenna said

"he's the one who talked to me earlier" Mary said still wide-eyed

"he did what?!" Kenna said almost screaming

"did you get his number, or did he get yours?!" Kenna added

"uhm no, maybe I was a little bit… cold to him" Mary said embarrassingly

"you did not just said that" Kenna stared to her friend, shock written all over her face

"I was nervous!" Mary said as though defending herself

"Good evening everyone" Francis said on the microphone, girls' loud screams followed, Mary and Kenna can barely hear the other things he said, when the cheering toned down a little bit, Francis spoke again

"My first song is dedicated to 'Just Mary'"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"My first song is dedicated to 'Just Mary'" Bash mimics his little brother as they entered the dorm room

"Shut up Bash" Francis said quite annoyed

"Who is this 'just Mary'?" Bash inquired while grinning widely

"She's a girl I met at the party" Francis said

"You've never dedicated a song for anyone before, not even Olivia" Bash said still teasing his brother

"well, I've never met anyone like her, that's why… she's different from all the other girls" Francis said as he sits on his bed

"What makes her different?" Bash asked

"I think she saw me as me and not as 'the guy who can sing', it's seems that people already put a label on me before they even met me…as if that label alone defines my whole being" Francis said

"so… you like her because she didn't know you were famous?" Bash said clearly mocking

"no, idiot" Francis said

"no… meaning you don't like her or no meaning I didn't get your point clearly?" Bash said still teasing his little brother, it's the first time that Bash sees his brother like this. Oftentimes, Francis won't even give a second glance to the girls that follow him in and outside the campus. After Olivia cheated on Francis, Bash thought that his little brother already gave up on love.

"figure it out" Francis said already wanting Bash to drop the subject

"you want to know what I think?... I think we naturally strive for the ones that we can't get, that no matter how many girls out there are willing to give their hearts to you, you will still want to go for the girl who doesn't like you back" Bash said

"what makes you think that I can't get Mary and she doesn't like me back?" Francis asked

"I don't know, I just assumed" Bash said while laughing

"you're always the pessimist, brother. I'm remaining positive, so keep your negative thoughts to yourself" Francis said as he strides towards the bathroom

"whatever you say, little brother, whatever you say" Bash said as he shakes his head while smirking

3 days later

Mary is feeling so nervous for the first day of class, she actually doesn't know what to expect yet and she's not sure if she's nervous about the professors or about meeting other students. The last time someone talked to her, she immediately grew cold and anti-social, her main concern is that people might think she's snob because of her timidity and if that happens, her hopes in gaining more friends would be gone. She's on her way to her building when she heard someone calling her name.

"Mary!"

"Mary, wait!" A boy with a British accent called her from afar

She stopped walking and glanced to the direction where the voice came, then she saw HIM, Francis… jogging towards her

"I knew it was you" Francis said while catching his breath

"uhm, hi" Mary said shyly, she hates it when she acts like this, she's really trying her best to remain 'normal' when Francis is around but the loud beating of her heart is not making it possible

"the last time I saw you at the party, you were sitting all by yourself, I looked for you later that night but you were nowhere to be found" Francis said

"uhm yeah, my friend and I left early" Mary said

"oh, uhm… were you still there when we performed?" Francis said hoping that Mary heard his dedication to her

"yeah, uhm you sang pretty well, and oh… thanks for the dedication" Mary said with a smile

Francis can feel himself blushing, Mary thanked and complimented him about his singing, he's used to the compliments from other people but Mary's definitely made his heart jump for joy, and he's pretty sure his heart skipped a beat when Mary smiled at him for the first time.

"thanks and you deserved it… the dedication I mean" Francis said while grinning widely

"uhm may I walk you to class?" Francis added, not wanting to end their conversation

"oh you don't need to" Mary said throwing back the smile

"you'll be late for class if you do that" Mary quickly added after she saw the disappointment in Francis' eyes

"my class won't start until 9am, I still have plenty of time" Francis said, the thrill coming back to his eyes

"so, may I walk you?" Francis asked, he's not always so persistent but when it comes to Mary, he's different

"we're already walking Francis" Mary said with a giggle

"I'll take that as a yes" Francis said beaming

They walked for a few minutes more and Mary has to admit that she purposely walked slowly to be with Francis longer, when they finally arrived at the classroom, she faced Francis and thanked him, she was about to enter the room when Francis lightly touched her arm

"uhm Mary wait" Francis said

"I uh… recorded some songs to this CD, can you uh… listen to it and tell me what you think?" Francis said as he breaks eye contact and lowers his head a little. Mary can sense that he's a bit shy, which made her smile

"of course, I would love to listen to it" Mary said while beaming

"really? Thanks a lot, I will wait for your response" Francis said

"so I guess I'll go now" Francis added

"bye, thanks again for walking me to class" Mary said

"we should do this on a regular basis" Francis said with a wide grin

"do what on a regular basis?" an old man behind Francis said in a deep tone

"If you want to flirt with each other, do it someplace else" The old man added before he entered the classroom.

Mary and Francis just looked at each other and smiled

"well you should probably go inside now, I'm pretty sure that's your professor" Francis said

"yeah, bye" Mary said

"oh and Mary?" Francis said

"yup?" Mary said as she glanced back

"good luck!" Francis said with a cheerful smile

"Thanks" Mary said as she smiled to Francis before entering the room


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Mary"

"Mary"

"Mary!" Kenna said in a very loud voice

"Uhm… what?" Mary said as she looks to Kenna and removes her earphones, she was listening to the CD that Francis gave her and she can't help but to get lost in the moment

"What are you doiinnnggg?" Kenna said, her tone teasing

"nothing" Mary said as she quickly closed her laptop

"oooooh nothing huh" Kenna said still teasing

"what?" Mary said while smiling

"you've been grinning like crazy for an hour now, and don't tell me that it's 'nothing' because I know that look" Kenna said as she walks slowly to Mary's bed

"what look?" Mary said trying to hide her grin, she's not sure if she's going to tell Kenna about Francis walking her to class, she doesn't want to get her hopes up and she doesn't really want to put meaning to Francis' actions. It's better to not expect anything, that way, she won't be disappointed.

"you know you suck at playing dumb, right?" Kenna said with a mischievous grin

"fine, fine" Mary said as she looks to Kenna

Kenna made herself comfortable on Mary's bed , she grabbed a pillow, put it on her lap and scoots closer to Mary

"What are you waiting for? Spill" Kenna said demandingly

"There's not much to talk about, really" Mary said, the smile not leaving her face

"ha! I'm not dropping this topic anytime soon, I want every single juicy detail. NOW." Kenna said

"uhm, he just walked me to class and gave me his CD" Mary said, trying hard not to look jittery

"I knew it! He is sooo into you, and I bet you like him to. A lot" Kenna said while elbowing Mary

"wha— " Mary quickly said but was interrupted

"Don't even try to deny it, you were listening to the CD he gave you, weren't you? And don't even tell me that you're watching a movie because your eyes weren't glued on the screen, you were looking from here and there then you smiled out of nowhere" Kenna said with a loud voice, looking very enthusiastic

"well I was curious to know what kind of genre he sings so –" Mary said

"oh please, you like the boy. ADMIT IT" Kenna said beaming widely

"it doesn't matter if I like him, tons of girls already like him, I'm just a mere addition to the list" Mary said

"of course it matters, you're unlike all the other girls because He. Likes. You. Back." Kenna pointed out

"I don't really know that, he might have done the same gestures to tons of other girls" Mary said doubtfully

"he doesn't seem like the playboy type to me" Kenna said to Mary

"let's just hope you're right" Mary said in an almost inaudible voice

**~~O~~**

"you seem bothered" Bash said to his brother

"I should have just get her number" Francis said looking gloomy

"whose number?" Bash replied

"Mary's… I slipped my number to the CD I gave her but I guess she didn't notice it" Francis with disappointment in his voice

"or maybe she did and she just don't want to contact you .ha" Bash said mockingly

"what a way to cheer up your little brother" Francis stated

"how about you, have you met any girls in school? It's your junior year now and so far you only had… 0 girlfriends .ha." Francis added

"well I'm not the one who was too coward to get the number of the girl I like…" Bash replied

"oh shut up Bash, I just don't want to rush it"

"but seriously, aren't you gonna ask anyone out?" Francis added

"well I met a girl at the party, her name is Kenna" Bash said

"and?" Francis asked

"she's beautiful, witty, have a good sense of humor" Bash said with a smile

"and did you get her number?" Francis said

"uhm… no" Bash said

"and that's why we're brothers" Francis said as with a wide grin

"but… we have a class together so I might have already asked her out for a drink" Bash said pleased

"whoa nice job there brother, and I always thought you wouldn't get any dates this year…I would never have guessed" Francis laughs

"haha and meanwhile my poor little brother is still waiting for a text that would never come" Bash said while smirking

"well I already know where her first class is so maybe I'll just meet her there" Francis said comforting himself

**~~O~~**

"what book are you looking for?"

"or should I say _who_ are you looking for?" Kenna said teasingly

"haha funny Kenna, I came here to study, but I told you that you can go ahead already, I might stay here for a while" Mary said

"in the library? This place is no fun" Kenna said

"fun can wait, in the meantime, I need to study" Mary said as she scans the books in the shelves

"ugh bummer, I was going to ask you to come with me to this pub" Kenna said looking disappointed

"what are you studying for anyway? Classes have just started" Kenna added trying to convince Mary

"we're students, we should be studying and why do you suddenly want to go to this pub?" Mary inquired

"well… Bash asked me out, and I was kinda hoping that you'd go with me" Kenna said

"and why would I want to go with you, isn't that a date or something? It should only be the two of you" Mary said while still looking for the book she needs, Kenna stands beside her looking utterly bored

"because you're not having fun, yesterday you were inside our room all day long, if I were you, I would have gone cray" Kenna said

"haha good thing you're not me then" Mary smiled

"Olivia!" a girl near them said, she was walking towards the blonde girl sitting on one of the chair near the shelf, she seems to be reading something and was quite annoyed when she heard her name and was interrupted

"hi Nicole" Olivia said with a small smile

"I haven't seen you for ages" the girl named Nicole said

"how are you?" Nicole added

"I'm doing great" Olivia replied as she turned her attention to the book she's reading, Mary can tell from afar that Olivia doesn't want to be bothered right now, but Nicole isn't getting the hint

"aww you don't have to lie Olivia" Nicole said with an almost genuine concern

"I was there at the party, and I heard Francis dedicate his first song to this 'just Mary' girl, you must be hurting, I know you love him still" Nicole added

Marry and Kenna was quite startled after hearing this, they didn't really mean to eavesdrop but the loud voice of Nicole is just so distracting

"yes I love him still and I'm pretty sure he still loves me back, I am his first love after all and he just did that dedication to make me jealous" Olivia said

"are you sure? I think he was sincere with that dedication" Nicole said trying to convince Olivia

" I am sure, he was just using that 'just Mary' girl to get me back" Olivia replied slightly annoyed

And by that Mary rushed out of the library

"Mary"

"Mary wait" Kenna said trying to catch up to her friend, she never thought Mary could walk that fast

"I'm pretty sure there's no truth on what they're saying" Kenna consoled her

"she's just a bitter ex-girlfriend" Kenna added while still walking fast

"I don't even know why I'm reacting this way, I mean… Francis and I are just friends and… ughhhh I hate my feelings" Mary said looking frustrated

"so you finally admit that you like him" Kenna said

"it doesn't really matter now, does it?" Marry said as she finally slows down, allowing Kenna to catch her breath

"why don't you ask him that?" Kenna said while holding up a small piece of paper that contains a series of numbers

"what's this?" Mary said

"Francis' number" Kenna said while smiling

"how did you get this?" Mary said quite shocked

"it was just lying around the room, I think he inserted it in the CD he gave you" Kenna said teasingly

"really?" Mary replied

"what are you waiting for? Call him" Kenna said as she grinned widely to her friend, looking utterly excited.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

She's been calling Francis for the last 20 minutes but it just goes to his voice message.

"he's not answering it… ughhhh I told you this was a bad idea" Mary said to Kenna

"uhm no, you didn't… when I handed you Francis' number you got too excited and dialed his number as quick as you can" Kenna said to Mary teasingly

"I did not! But that's not the point, even if he does pick up, what am I going to say to him?" Mary asked

"well… I don't know… uhm tell him that you love his songs on the CD that he gave you?" Kenna said trying to come up with a good advice

"that sounds pretty lame though" Mary said as he stares at her cell phone screen

"he said that he wanted to know your thoughts about his recordings, right? It isn't lame" Kenna said

"well .." Mary mumbled

"oh for God's sakes Mary, just call him" Kenna said impatiently

"fine, fine! But if I screw up this conversation, I'm gonna blame you" Mary said jokingly

**(Meanwhile in Bash and Francis' room)**

"young man, your phone has been ringing for hours nowww" Bash as he watched Francis emerge from the bathroom, his hair still wet and a clean white towel was wrapped around his waist

"well sorry old man, I was in the shower" Francis said while laughing

" I know, I just saw you came out of the bathroom, and the floor's now wet because you're walking all over the room… seriously, put some clothes on and answer your phone, it's getting annoying" Bash said as typed something on his laptop

"jeez Bash, as you can see, I'm still looking for my phone" Francis said as he looks for his phone under one of the pillows, it already stopped ringing making it harder for Francis to find its location.

"found it!" Francis said seconds later

"where did you hide it this time?" Bash said

"haha I didn't hide it, I just completely forgot where I put it" Francis replied

"the caller was from an unregistered number" Francis added a few seconds later

"well aren't you gonna call him/ her back, maybe it's important… or maybe it's Maaaaryyy?" Bash said adding noticeable emphasis on 'Mary' as if trying to imply something

"you think so?" Francis said with hope in his voice

"yeah, but if you're going to call her back please put some clothes on first" Bash said looking a bit annoyed

"you already said that" Francis said

"it's worth repeating, now go put some clothes on, you're still dripping and wet and just so you know, I set the AC to 'beyond freezing' Bash said exaggeratingly

"jeez Bash, why do you always do that, it's always freezing in our room, it's like living in the north pole" Francis said complaining

"cos I'm cool like that" Bash stated while smirking

"there's a joke in there somewhere… but I can't seem to find it" Francis said teasingly, Bash just shot him an annoyed look. Francis quickly grabbed his clothes and went to his side of the room.

**(Meanwhile in Kenna and Mary's room)**

"maybe it's a sign that I shouldn't be calling him" Mary said disappointed

"oh please don't give me that crap…try again, he was probably busy a while ago" Kenna said comforting Mary

Mary dialed his number once more, and after several seconds of waiting, he finally answered

"hello?" he said on the other side of the line

"uhm hi… it's Mary" Mary shyly said, she's obviously not good on phone conversations

There was a long pause so she spoke again

"uhm you gave me your CD, and I-uhh just called to say that it was really good… the CD I mean… uhm, are you still there?" Mary said fearing that Francis already hung up on her after realizing that she's boring to talk to

"ohh yes" Francis said with delight in his voice

"I mean… yes I'm still here and yes! I'm really glad that you liked it" Francis quickly added, he has never been so nervous during a phone call before, but he's definitely nervous now

"uhm so… do you have classes tomorrow?" Francis asked

"yes, how about you?" Mary said as she rewards herself with a face palm for her greatest reply ever "_oh God I'm the most boring person in the whole galaxy" _she said to herself

"I don't have classes tomorrow and I—uhm… I was just wondering if I can walk you to class… again?" Francis shyly asked

"you don't have to" Mary said as she tries to sound calm when in truth she's already internally screaming

"that's the same thing you said to me last time" Francis said teasingly

"yeah… yet you insisted anyway" Mary said with a wide grin on her face, thank God, Francis couldn't see her freaking out right now

"so… see you tomorrow?" Francis asked

"see you" Mary said with a cheerful tone before she hung up and slowly walked to her bed… seconds later, her phone vibrated

"_Good night xx _

_-Francis"_

And by that she lie down on her bed and tries to control her emotions

"careful darling, you might die from happiness right here and now" Kenna as she smiles at Mary

"you're welcome" Kenna added, trying to get Mary's attention

"uhm sorry what?" Mary said while still grinning from ear to ear

"you should thank me for forcing you to call Francis" Kenna informed Mary

"oh! Thank you thank you my dear friend!" Mary said as she walks to Kenna's bed to give her a bear hug

"jeez Mary, you don't need to squeeze me you know" Kenna said

"you love me anyway" Mary said as she walks back to her bed joyfully.

**Author's note: thank you thank you thank you for your reviews, favorites and follows. I hope you enjoyed reading it. Keep reviewing! I really like to know what you think about this story, and if you still want me to continue writing it **


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"you ready to go to the pub?" Kenna said for the nth time that day, Mary finally agreed to come with her as her gratitude for Kenna when she "forced" her to call Francis, it was just a trivial thing but Mary felt that she should do something for Kenna in return.

"I should be the one asking you that question…you're going on a date with what's his name again… Bash?" Mary asked

"well, I'm not nervous or anything" Kenna shrugged

"of course you're not" Mary said with a tone that seems to imply something

"oh stop it Mary, he just asked me out and that's it plus you're going with me so this doesn't really count as a date" Kenna defended

"whatever darling" Mary rolls her eyes and laughs

(later that evening)

Kenna pushed the door of the pub and immediately looked for Bash

"do you see him? I don't really know what he looks like so you're on your own" Mary mumbled behind Kenna

The pub is quite huge and its design is a mixture of vintage and contemporary style and the stage have been set up for a band that will perform that night

"there you are!" Bash said as he smiles to both Kenna and Mary

"I almost thought that you weren't coming" Bash added

"I wouldn't miss the chance to see this place, and oh by the way…Bash, meet Mary" Kenna makes way for the two

"hi, it's a pleasure to meet you" Bash said as he extends his right hand to Mary and showed a big smile

"it's a pleasure to meet you too" Mary said returning the gesture

"jeez you two are too formal" Kenna interrupted, Bash and Mary just laughed

"so let's get a table" Bash said as he leads the way to a semi-circular couch with a round table

After an hour of chatting with each other, the members of the band that will perform, finally went to the stage

"did I mention that my brother is performing tonight?" Bash informed Kenna and Mary

"really? Which one?" Kenna asked looking excited

"Francis, he's the vocalist" Bash said sounding quite proud

"oooh Francis" Kenna said with a teasing look to Mary

"oh, do you guys know each other?" Bash said to Mary

"uhm we're not really that close but we talk sometimes" Mary answer

"and he walks Mary to class" Kenna added

"ohh you're _the_ Mary" Bash said upon his realization

"what do you mean 'the'?" Mary said with a smile on her face

"oh, nothing… it's just.. I think he mentioned you once or twice" Bash asked

"really? What did he say?" Mary said

"that he gave you his CD and all that" Bash said while teasing Mary

"sooo, do you think your brother likes my friend here?" Kenna asked Bash

"Kenna!" Mary scolded Kenna

"What? I'm just asking" Kenna said mokingly

"well I think that question is not mine to answer" Bash said as he leans back to the couch

"but you could ask my brother now since he's coming this way" Bash added

Mary searched the pub and saw Francis, he was walking towards their direction and his eyes was somehow pinned to Bash, if Francis glances to her direction, she wouldn't know how to react

Francis was suddenly stopped as he was swarmed by a couple of female college students that probably goes to their school, he greeted them warmly and gave them his sweetest smile. Mary felt a pang of jealousy, seeing those girls around Francis made her feel a bit uncomfortable

Bash went to his brother to pull him out of the swarm of girls and somehow dragged him to their table

"your Mary's here" Bash whispered teasingly

"where?" Francis quickly scanned the room and spotted Mary sitting on one of the couches with a brunette girl, she seemed pretty busy talking to the girl beside her

"she came with Kenna, I didn't know they were friends" Bash said

"neither do I" Francis said still looking at Mary

"what are you waiting for? Go to her" Bash said as she pushed Francis to Mary's direction, Francis walked willingly

"this night is going to be interesting" Bash said to himself as he follows Francis

"well Bash and I are actually half brothers, we have different mothers. And he grew up here, while I grew up in London" Francis said to Mary and Kenna, the group is having a nice chat and some light drinks

"oh so when did you guys reunited?" Kenna asked

"we've been together for two years now, I mean literally living together, we share the same room…unfortunately" Bash said mockingly and everyone laughed

"it's more unfortunate in my side, Bash never turns his light off when he's sleeping" Francis said jokingly

"at least I'm not walking around the room all day singing random lyrics, it's really hard to study when Francis is around" Bash said to Kenna and Mary

"at least my voice is not that bad" Francis said jokingly

"haha very funny, speaking of your lovely voice, you need to perform now young man" Bash said pointing Francis to the stage

"bye…go now, before you insult me further to the ladies" Bash added, Mary and Kenna are just giggling in the background, they are so amused by the brothers' conversation, although they didn't grew up together, they seem so close and comfortable with each other, well they are brothers after all

"bummer, I was actually enjoying this chat… uhm see you later Mary… oh and if you want, you and Kenna stay with us tonight, your dorm is quite far from here, Bash and I are not going home to our dorm tonight but we have a flat near this pub" Francis offered

"yeah, you should stay in our flat, it's not safe for beautiful girls to wander around at night, and we're not serial killers, I promise" Bash said

"thanks but we really need to-" Mary said

"we'd love to! Thanks for offering" Kenna interrupted

"Kenna" Mary said

"come on, it would be fun!" Kenna said convincing Mary

"ok, fine" Mary said as she smiled to Kenna, honestly, she wouldn't really mind to spend the night in Francis' place, the chats they had whenever he walks her to class are brief but very entertaining

"great, I'll come back to you guys later, in the meantime, duty calls" Francis said as he stands and walks toward the stage

When the band started performing, Mary couldn't stop looking at Francis, and though many girls are screaming his name, Francis too couldn't stop looking at Mary.

"careful Kenna" Bash said as he jogs towards Kenna who's walking unsteadily, they just got off the car and now walking toward the apartment. Kenna clearly had drank too much

"I can take care of myself" Kenna mumbled, as she places her hand on her forehead

"Let me at least get the door for you, I have the keys" Bash said as he tries to unlock the door to their flat. Mary and Francis are just behind them, and was seem to be lost in their own world

"did you have a good time?" Francis asked Mary

"yeah, it was really fun" Mary smiled

"sorry I wasn't there the whole time, I should have chatted more with you" Francis said

"it's okay, really… you were performing on stage, and it was quite entertaining actually" Mary replied

"oh and thank you for agreeing to stay with us tonight" Francis said while smiling

"I should be the one thanking you for letting us stay" Mary said returning Francis' smile

"are you two going to stay outside forever or what?" Bash said teasingly, Francis and Mary laughed

"we better go inside, the old man's getting impatient" Francis said as he leads Mary to their flat

"you can go sleep in my bed, I'll sleep here on the couch" Francis offered

"you don't have to do that, I'm fine here" Mary said as she sits on the couch

"I insist, plus it's not right for us to let a guest sleep on the couch, and Kenna's already sleeping in Bash's room so Bash will sleep in the living room too" Francis said as he sits beside Mary

"can I ask you a question?" Mary asked, their bodies are only inches apart and she tries so hard to remain composed

"you already did" Francis said teasingly, Mary giggled

"well can I ask another one?" Mary said while smiling

"ok what is it?" Francis said looking amused

"what made you attracted to music?" Mary asked

"I can freely express my feelings through music, I'm not really good at conversations… like now, I'm pretty sure I'm boring you already

"you're not, and I find you easy to talk to, and quite entertaining too" Mary said

"haha I doubt that, would you mind waiting here? I'll just get my guitar" Francis asked

"no, it's ok… go ahead" Mary said lightheartedly, Francis went to his room and seconds later, he emerged with a black guitar in his hand

"what would you like me to sing?" Francis asked as he sit beside Mary

"you can sing anything you like" Mary said, not really minding the Francis' song choice, any song would sound perfect to a voice like his

"ok here it goes" Francis said sounding a little nervous, it's been a long time since he played the guitar and it's definitely his first time playing it to a girl

"_What day is it? And in what month?  
This clock never seemed so alive  
I can't keep up and I can't back down  
I've been losing so much time"_

Mary's eyes are pinned on Francis, she honestly don't know how she got so lucky, loads of girls have a crush on Francis and yet she's the one sitting beside him right now. Francis looks back to her and his eyes twinkled, every word that comes from his mouth is piercing her soul, if it weren't for the guitar, Francis would definitely hear her heart beating loudly right now.

"_'Cause it's you and me and all of the people with nothing to do, nothing to lose  
And it's you and me and all of the people  
And I don't know why I can't keep my eyes off of you…"_

When Francis finished the song, he leaned closer to Mary, and pulled her to a kiss. It was tentative and testing at first, Francis didn't know what got into him, Mary returned the kiss and they were both lost in the moment. Francis' slowly puts down his guitar that serves as a barrier between them, he puts his hand on the back of Mary's head to pull her closer, she puts her hand on his chest in return. After several seconds, Francis pulled back enabling them to catch their breath. He grinned while Mary giggled; he lifts up her chin and pulled her to another kiss.

After the second kiss that they shared, they both smiled as they pressed their forehead to each other, their eyes closed.

"I should get some sleep" Mary said moments later

"yeah… you should" Francis said as he beamed to Mary, the afterglow of their kiss is still evident to each other's faces

"come, my room's this way" Francis said as he stood and offered his hand to Mary

Mary gladly took it as they made their way upstairs, their hands entwined.

They both walk ever so slowly to prolong and cherish the moment that they are now sharing.

"so… this is my room, and that room at the end of the hallway is Bash's" Francis said as he opened the door

"make yourself comfortable… oh and if you want to change clothes, you can just get a shirt from my drawer" Francis said to Mary, his hands still holding hers

"sorry for stealing your bed" Mary said as she squeezes Francis' hand

"no worries, I'll just make myself comfortable on the couch" Francis said as he smiles to Mary

"so I guess… I'll go now, tell me if you need anything" Francis said

"okay… good night" Mary said

"good night… see you in the morning" Francis said as he placed a soft kiss on Mary's forehead. They shared one last glance to each other before Francis closed the door.

Moments later, Mary found herself sitting on Francis' bed, replaying the moments they shared on her head.

"This can't be real" Mary said to herself as she smiles from ear to ear.

**Author's Note: Thank you for the reviews! I appreciate every single one of them. I've decided to continue writing this story, so I hope you guys continue reading (and reviewing) this too. **

**P.S. let me know if the choice of song sucks, you can also suggest songs for the upcoming chapters. Thank you! (the song is "You and Me" by Lifehouse). **


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Francis works his way to the kitchen as he prepares for their breakfast, Bash is still sleeping on the couch and so is Kenna upstairs. He was reaching for the eggs when he heard a faint sound upstairs, he assumed that Mary might already be awake.

"Good morning" Francis said smiling as he saw Mary jog down the stairs

"someone's in a good mood" Mary said as she reflected Francis' smile

"what are you making?" Mary added

"I'm making pancakes for breakfast" Francis replied Mary scoots closer to him and helped him prepare the pancakes

"did you sleep well?" Mary uttered

"yes and you?... I hope you found my bed comfortable" Francis said while beaming to Mary

"it's bearable" Mary replied teasingly

"bearable? Well I guess I should have just let you sleep on the couch then… with me" Francis whispered to Mary's ear while setting aside the pancakes that he's making and pulling Mary closer. He softly kissed her cheek and she giggled.

The two are enjoying their time alone with each other but it was cut short when they heard someone clear his throat.

"good morning to you two" Bash said while grabbing a glass of water

"good morning Bash" Mary said slightly embarrassed

"didn't noticed you there" Francis said

"I'm just getting a glass of water and then I'm off, you two can continue whatever it is you're doing" Bash said jokily

"we weren't doing anything!" Mary said defensively, but still with a smile on her smile

"oh we were _definitely_ doing something…" Francis said giving Mary a knowing look

"Francis!" Mary said slapping slightly his chest

"jeez, you two can't get your hands off each other already… I'll just go upstairs and check on Kenna" Bash said

"off you go" Francis said jokily shooing his brother

"sooo" Francis said to Mary a little while later

"sooo what?" Mary answered

"since it's Sunday and we don't have to go to class until tomorrow, I was thinking that maybe we could have… I dunno… a date or something?" Francis said unable to form a coherent sentence while looking to Mary's beautiful brown eyes, her intoxicating smell distracting him in every way possible.

"a date?"

"where?" Mary replied beamingly

"well we could go watch a movie, eat in a fancy restaurant, go to the amusement park, or wherever you want to go, we can also bring Bash and Kenna with us if you want" Francis said, his hands never leaving Mary's side

"that sounds fun but, don't you have a gig today?" Mary asks while leaning on Francis, they're both standing in the kitchen yet they feel so comfortable in each other's arms

"I have to go to the pub tonight but…I'm all yours the whole day" Francis said while tacking a strand of hair on Mary's ear

"Is that so?" Mary said turning around and beaming on Francis, she's now facing him while his hands touch both of her arms; he planted a soft kiss on her forehead, then to her nose and down to her lips. The kiss was soft at first, but several seconds later it grew more urgent and more passionate. Francis' arm travels on Mary's lower back as he pulls her closer; Mary's hand touches his curls and rests on his neck, pulling him impossibly closer as well. She can feel his smile while he kisses her, she can feel his hands leaving trails of fire on her skin. They stayed like that for several seconds before pausing to catch their breath.

"you know that pancakes are not going to cook themselves, right?" Mary said smiling

"yeah, we better make it now before you see my brother on crazy mode whenever he gets extremely hungry" Francis said while laughing genuinely

"I heard that" Bash said smiling to the two

"how long were you standing there?" Francis asked

"sorry Mary, my brother's is such a creep" Francis added, Mary smiled to Bash

"is Kenna awake?" Mary asked

"no, I'm still snoring in Bash's bed" Kenna said while going down the stairs

"did you sleep well?" Mary asked

"yup but my head hurts" Kenna replied as she puts her hand on her forehead

"it's as if I banged my head on a wall last night, like Dobby the elf" Kenna added

"Dobby the elf?" Bash said laughingly

"it's because you drank too much last night" Mary said also laughing at Kenna

"how is it that you look alright while I look like a mess?" Kenna asked her friend as she rubs her eyes

"the bed I slept on was really comfortable" Mary replied

"you said it was _bearable_" Francis said teasingly, he sets up the table and readies their breakfast

"oh look at you two, already flirting endlessly with each other" Kenna said while giving Mary the look

"they couldn't even keep their hands off each other earlier" Bash added

"ooooh that escalated quickly" Kenna grins, she loves teasing Mary especially when it comes to Francis

"oh shut it, you should eat, I can hear your tummy rumbling from here" Mary said

"yeah breakfast is ready" Francis said as he calls everyone to eat

"finally, it took you ages to finish cooking these pancakes" Bash said amusingly

"you should have helped me prepare it then" Francis replied

"and disturb you and Mary? Nah I'll pass" Bash said

"so Mary, are we going back to our dorm today? Not that I want to but…" Kenna interrupted

"actually Francis and I will… go somewhere and you and Bash are more than welcome to come" Mary said

"where are we going exactly?" Kenna asked

"we don't really know yet" Mary replied

"hmmm we could go to the beach?" Kenna suggested

"beach sounds fun" Mary said looking at Francis

"yeah beach sounds _awesome_" Bash agreed

"beach it is then" Francis said smiling at Mary

***later that day***

"wow this house is gorgeous" Kenna said as they arrived at Francis and Bash's house near the beach. It has glass walls that overlook the beach and a swimming pool

"how many houses do you have exactly?" Kenna added

"well our father likes to buy properties here and there" Bash answered

"let's get your stuff inside" Francis said as he carries Mary's luggage

"this place is really beautiful" Mary said to Francis as they walk towards the house

"I'm glad you like it" Francis smiled, it's the first time he brings guests there, most of the time it's just him and his brother

"there are four rooms upstairs, you can choose whichever you like" Francis said to Mary as he tours her to the house

"thank you for bringing us here, it's really sweet of you" Mary said as they reached the room of her choosing

"don't mention it, I really want us to have a great first date" Francis said almost shyly, Mary smiles as she walks toward Francis and kisses his cheek

"I do too" Mary said as she places her hands on his chest, Francis was about to kiss her when she heard Kenna shouting something downstairs

"Mary! We only have a day here, hurry up!" Kenna shouts

"your friend is rather impatient" Francis teases Mary, though he was quite disappointed because they were disturbed

"she is" Mary laughs

"I better go downstairs before she drags me to the beach" Mary added jokingly

"yeah, I'll go there as soon as I'm done unpacking my things" Francis said

Mary emerges out of the water in order to catch her breath; she enjoys moments like this, moments where she can think, away from the busy city noises, the sound of waves seems music to her ears.

"there you are" Francis said as he swims to Mary, she beams at him as he got closer, her arms immediately snaking on his neck, while his hands travels to her hips. She loves how she fits in his arms, like they were made perfectly for each other.

"what were you looking at?" Francis asks

"just …the horizon… looking at it makes me wonder what goes beyond it" Mary said

"I suppose… the nearest island?" Francis replied, pulling her closer, Mary smiled at him

"even if you sailed all around the world, that perfectly straight line will always be there, it will never change, it will never go away" Mary said looking at the horizon

"you appreciate the simplest of things" Francis said looking at Mary, he looks at her with awe and amazement

"it's because it's the simple things that matter" Mary said looking at Francis, she beams at him as she holds on to him tighter, pulling him closer

Francis leans his head as he kisses her; they stayed still savoring the moment. Every kiss they share is soft and passionate at the same time; every time her lips touch his it's as if her whole body is going to melt. She's suddenly aware of his touches, she can feel his hands traveling from her hips to her back, pulling her closer, and though they're on the water she feels hot on every surface of her body, her hand travels from his neck to his chest, it's the her first time seeing him shirtless and though she wears a white see-through sleeves and white bikini underneath, she feels as naked as him.

"so… how many guests have you brought here?" Kenna asked Bash, they were seating on the shore while drinking their juice

"actually, you're the first ones" Bash replied

"really?" Kenna said with disbelief

"really" Bash replied

"how come you never brought anyone? This place is huge, Francis' band could have a gig here" Kenna suggested

"we don't want people from the uni to know that this place is ours…if they knew, this place would have a swarm of girls every day. This beach is our little escape from everything, it's peaceful and quiet." Bash explained

"well yeah, you wouldn't want loads of girls stalking your brother here… he's quite popular" Kenna jokes

"hey I'm popular too" Bash said acting offended

"really? I didn't know that" Kenna said smiling as she sips her juice

"well, now you do" Bash said cheekily as he winks at her

"hey, do you want to go boating? we have motorboat we could use" Bash said after a few seconds

"yeah that sounds fun" Kenna said getting excited

"wait, can Mary and Francis come too?" Kenna suggested

"sure, although I don't really know where they went" Bash said looking at the beach

"I'll go find them" Kenna stood up and walks to the beach

It doesn't take long before Kenna spotted them on the water, Mary laughs as she struggles to get away from Francis, he catches her and tickles her again. Francis was kissing Mary when they got too close to the shore and struck by a wave, Kenna laughed as she watched them, seconds later she saw Francis helping Mary up, they were both laughing

"hey guys! You wanna go boating?" Kenna said after a few minutes

"you wanna go boating, Mary?" Francis repeats the question to Mary

"yeah sure" Mary smiled

"race you to the shore" Mary added as she struggles to run on the water, the water is now waist deep so she can't really swim properly because of the waves.

"gotcha!" Francis said as he embraces her from behind and spins her on the water

Mary giggles as she tries to escape from his grasp

"you're cheating" Mary said between her laughs

Francis still didn't let her go as another wave comes and swallows the two

Kenna just smiles from afar as she watches Mary emerges from the water, still laughing as she slowly walks to the shore, her energy seems to go down after wrestling with Francis on the water

"I win!" Mary shouts as she reaches the sandy shore, Francis beams at her though still breathless from their 'race'

"what's my price?" Mary asked, her voice teasing

Francis leans down and pulls her for another kiss, Mary thinks that she will never get tired of this, she's being used to the ecstatic feeling she gets when she's with Francis

They pull apart when they heard someone clear her throat

"so are you guys coming or are you just gonna kiss there all day?" Kenna said teasing Mary

Francis smiles at Mary while Mary bit her lower lip in embarrassment, Francis thinks she's adorably cute when she does that, her cheeks blushed as she reciprocates a smile to him, they both jog towards Kenna a moment later

"So… are you having fun?" Kenna whispered to Mary's ear as she got closer, throwing her a knowing look

Mary beams brightly and her eyes seem to twinkle

"yeah" Mary smiles, her face glowing

"I'm so happy for you" Kenna bumps her friend and they both giggled.


End file.
